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Real Men Wear Gowns: How one man survived a ruptured aneurysm

One in 50 people suffer a brain aneurysm. Most of them are harmless, but for those that rupture, it could mean death.

One in 50 people suffer a brain aneurysm. Most of them are harmless, but for those that rupture, it could mean death.

About a year ago, 27-year-old Alberto Camacho said he got the worst headache of his life. It wasn't until a week later that doctors discovered a brain aneurysm that had ruptured.

He's lucky to still be alive because nearly half of those who have ruptured aneurysms don't make it.

"In March of last year, I just had this really bad headache when I was in my apartment so I ended up passing out," Camacho said.

Over the next week, he went to a clinic for medication, ended up getting steroids, but eventually ended up in the ER a week after the headache started.

"When they did a lumbar puncture, when they first drew liquid like the little cerebrospinal fluid, when it came out it was bright orange so they knew right away there was blood somewhere in my brain. That's when they picked up it was an aneurysm," Camacho said.

About 24 hours later, surgeons performed an endovascular coiling.

"They went in through my leg into the femoral artery with a catheter, and went all the way through my leg up through my internal carotid up into my brain, and then they went forward and put little coils to kind of seal it off like a little balloon," Camacho said.

While in surgery he suffered a stroke when his blood vessels shut down, so last month he had to go back for a second surgery.

"They put a stent to keep my blood system open and then go in and coil again, but with a little more time," Camacho said.

Both surgeries were a success.

"He is truly a select number of the population who, not only is young and had an aneurysm, but a young person with an aneurysm that ruptured and has returned to a normal functionality," Dr. Ramesh Grandhi, a vascular neurosurgeon at University Hospital San Antonio said.

For more men's health information call 210-358-3045. You can also find the rest of our Real Men Wear Gowns stories at wearthegown.com.

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